Columns

To become a National Baseball Hall of Fame member, you only have to be successful roughly 25–30% of the time you’re in the batter’s box. Using the word “only” may seem like I’m slagging on people like Willie Mays, who had a batting average of .301;…

As the clock strikes 10 p.m., my daughter Claire’s used nebulizer cups are sitting by the sink, ready for their nightly sterilization routine. All I want to do after a long day of working and taking care of two small children is go to bed, but as a cystic…

Though family systems theory isn’t new, it’s new to me. I recently discovered the writings of psychologist Harriet Lerner, and her ideas — family systems theory filtered through a feminist lens — have in many ways been a godsend. They’ve helped me think through my first family’s relationship…

Birthdays aren’t just another day for me — they’re a reminder that I’m still alive. Last month, I turned 36. I’ve lived my entire life thinking I would die young. Growing older with cystic fibrosis (CF), living with minimal inhibition, and dreaming about the future all feel like…

One of Disney’s latest creations is “Disenchanted,” the sequel to the 2007 musical film “Enchanted.” Without revealing any spoilers, one of the characters makes a wish to return their living conditions to a place of familiarity and comfort. One song, “Fairytale Life (The Wish),” reminded me of the…

For years, bound by an undying loyalty to New Jersey, I never watched the TV show “Breaking Bad” because nothing would ever top “The Sopranos.” If you’re a TV connoisseur like me, you’ll know that many believe the top four television shows ever made are the two aforementioned ones,…

Here’s a new fact for you to know about me: New Year’s is my favorite holiday season. To me, it starts on Boxing Day, which is officially recognized on the day after Christmas, and ends when work begins again in the new year. In my memory, all New Year’s Eve…

Last in a series. Read parts one and two.  In my first column of this series, I described my relationship with antibiotics. In the second, I broke down the characters in the musical “Titanic” and mentioned those I thought were most likely to be affected by a crisis…

For two decades, plummeting pulmonary function percentages terrorized me, weight flew from my body, and my diagnoses list stretched longer than a CVS receipt. Trips to the clinic featured grim reports detailing my body’s ruin: estimated organ expiration dates, fistfuls of prescription slips to counteract the destructive side…

In elementary school, the holiday season was always a time of illness. With cold and flu season being driven, in large part, by Thanksgiving travels and family gatherings, it was inevitable that kids would return to school with whatever respiratory bug some uncle flew into Alabama from North Carolina,…